October in Montana: young coyotes are on the move

Coyote Season in Montana: Mating, Pups and Pet Safety

Q: When is coyote mating season in Montana?

Coyotes in Montana mate from January to March. The Montana Field Guide puts it this way: “Breeds from January to March; 60 to 63 days gestation; four to seven pups in a typical litter.” It is the loudest stretch of the coyote year: pairs court and mark their ground, and coyotes travel farther and show up more often by day.

Q: When are coyote pups born in Montana?

Coyote pups in Montana are born in March and April. Montana FWP puts it this way: “four to seven young are born blind and helpless in late March through April.”

Q: Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Montana?

Yes. Coyote hunting is open all year in Montana, under the 2026 rules from Montana FWP. License: no license for residents or nonresidents; a Conservation License (or state school trust lands recreational use license) on state school trust lands; landowner permission on private land.

Q: What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Do not run. Wild Aware Utah puts it this way: “Do not run or turn your back on a coyote that has approached you. Face the coyote, shout at it, be as big and loud as possible, wave your arms and back away slowly.”

In Montana, coyotes mate from January to March, according to the Montana Field Guide; coyote hunting is open all year.

October in Montana: Dispersal

The usual coyote year

The young of the year leave home to find their own ground, crossing roads and turning up in neighborhoods new to them.

For pets: Young coyotes new to a place are still learning what to avoid: keep cats indoors and walk dogs on a short leash at dawn and dusk.

Across the country, dispersal usually runs from October to December.

Next comes mating season, from January.

JanMating
FebMating
MarPups
AprPups
MayPups
JunPups
JulFamily
AugFamily
SepFamily
OctDispersalNow
NovDispersal
DecDispersal

Mating season: January to March, per the Montana Field Guide
Pup season: March and April, per Montana FWP
Family season: July to September, from the national calendar
Dispersal: October to December, from the national calendar

Pets and yards

How to keep pets safe from coyotes in Montana

What most state agencies advise

Secure garbage and compost, advised in 35 states

Contain garbage in a closed receptacle.

Iowa DNR. Read it at the source

Feed pets indoors, advised in 31 states

Do not feed pets outside.

NYS DEC in New York. Read it at the source

Walk dogs on a leash, advised in 28 states

Walk your dog on a leash when outdoors.

ODFW in Oregon. Read it at the source

If a coyote comes close

Moving toward the coyote while waving your arms or clapping.

CT DEEP in Connecticut. Read it at the source

If a coyote follows you

Do not run or turn your back on a coyote that has approached you. Face the coyote, shout at it, be as big and loud as possible, wave your arms and back away slowly.

Wild Aware Utah. Read it at the source

More on living with coyotes in Montana: Montana Field Guide.

Four young coyote pups outside a den dug into a dirt bank, one standing at the entrance looking out — Four pups outside their den in the bank above Big Dry Creek at Metzger Farm Open Space, Colorado, in mid May. Photo: Jim Kennedy. “Four Coyote Pups by Den in Metzger Farm Open Space, Colorado (17614272575)”, nature80020, CC BY 2.0

Whom to call

Who to call about a coyote in Montana

For a coyote that is bold around people, pets or homes in Montana:

FWP regional offices

Contact details

Hunting and trapping

Coyote hunting and trapping in Montana

Hunting: All year2026 rules
License: No license for residents or nonresidents; a Conservation License (or state school trust lands recreational use license) on state school trust lands; landowner permission on private land

Predatory animals and nongame species can be hunted in Montana year-round without a license by both resident and nonresident hunters.

Montana FWP, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Predators can be shot in Montana year-round without a license by both resident and nonresident hunters. A Conservation License, or a state school trust lands recreational use license, is required to shoot predators on state school trust lands. Permission must be obtained to shoot predators on private land.

Montana FWP, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Predatory Animals (MCA 87-6-101) – Coyote, weasel, skunk, and civet cat. There is no resident license required to trap predators. Nonresidents must purchase a license in order to trap predators.

Montana FWP, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Read from each source on October 13, 2026. Methods, night rules and public land rules can change by unit, so read Montana FWP’s page before you go out. Every state’s coyote seasons.

Sightings

When people report coyotes in Montana

312 research grade records from Montana, every year from 2016 to 2025 combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in May. A record is a person’s photograph confirmed by others, so the bars count sightings rather than coyotes.

Reading the last thirty days of reports from iNaturalist.

Montana coyote questions

When is coyote mating season in Montana?

When are coyote pups born in Montana?

Is it legal to hunt coyotes in Montana?

What do I do if a coyote follows me?

Who do I call about a coyote in Montana?

Coyote season in other states

Small game season in MontanaPheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel season dates Hunting license in MontanaWhat a license costs, plus the tag Deer season in MontanaArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates Attic wildlife in MontanaWhen you may evict animals from an attic Bear hibernation in MontanaWhen bears den and wake, and when to take feeders down

A coyote standing among sagebrush and grass coated white with hoar frost, looking toward the camera — A coyote hunting meadow voles in hoar frost on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Wyoming, at the end of December. Photo: Tom Koerner, USFWS. “Coyote in hoar frost on Seedskadee NWR (13234615673)”, USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain

Every fact links to the page it was read from, each read October 13, 2026. Mating, pup and dispersal months are the agency’s own where it prints them; the national calendar fills the rest. Sighting counts are iNaturalist research grade records, which count sightings, not coyotes. Coyote season across the country.